SPORT IN MOZAMBIQUE 



over eighteen feet in length, coiled round the body 

 of the animal. The idea occurred to take a photo- 

 graph of the group before firing, as the scene is so 

 excellent, and I hand my rifle to my wife and take 

 my kodak. Unfortunately, one of my dogs, which 

 has followed me, goes and puts his nose on the reptile, 

 and at this unpleasant touch the latter uncoils and 

 disappears with startling swiftness. I send a ball after 

 it which does not hit ; and deplore the loss of this 

 python, which is finer than any of those I have shot, 

 the largest of these not exceeding fourteen feet. 



Towards the end of June my wife and myself make 

 a rush to the upper Pungwe, to try and kill a hippo- 

 potamus. I know of a spot, at the embouchure of 

 the M'satwa, where, seven years ago, I killed four 

 in one day. After passing the village of Nyamvwho, 

 where we sleep, and after crossing the river M'biza, 

 we breakfast at the village of Bouti, whence a three 

 hours' march brings us to the place I know. We 

 camp there, and on the morrow I experience the 

 unpleasant surprise of seeing not a single hippopotamus 

 in the river. From M'satwa I push on as far as 

 Moussingazi, with the same result. The natives 

 inform me that a trio of Boers established them- 

 selves at Mendigos and slaughtered hecatombs of 

 hippopotamuses, so that none, or very few, remain. 



I descend again to Nyamvwho, where the natives 

 say that they know of certain pachyderms. I search 

 for three days, descending as far as the rapids of 



(94) 



